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Pune trader kidnapped for ₹20 crore ransom rescued by police in 12 hours
Pune police tracked the mobile phone that kidnappers of Darshan Mahendra Nifjiya used to make the ransom calls. Four of the five men involved in the crime were arrested in 12 hours while one is absconding.
It took the Crime Branch unit 1 of the Pune Police, along with personnel from the Khadak police station, little over 12 hours to foil a kidnap for ransom attempt and arrest four men early on Saturday morning.
The event unfolded on Friday when 27-year-old Darshan Mahendra Nifjiya was kidnapped by five men from Veer Bharat society in Bhawani peth at 12.30 pm who then called up his father, Mahendra Omkarmal Nifjiya (57), demanding a ransom of ₹20 crore. Nifjiya senior, a trader in Timber market, immediately filed a police complaint.
DCP (Crime) Shirish Sardeshpande said, “The complainant runs a building materials supply business and the ransom amount initially demanded over phone from his father was ₹20 crore which was later reducted to ₹15 lakh.” The amount was to be delivered at Jyoti hotel chowk at NIBM, police said.
Tracking the mobile-phone used to make the ransom calls, the police were able to zero in on a location. At 12.30 am on Saturday, four vans with armed police personnel surrounded a white tempo on the Kondhwa-Katraj road, which was carrying the victim.
Armed policemen took position and the suspects were made to surrender at gunpoint. Four men were arrested while one is absconding. The police recovered fire arms from the kidnappers’ possession.
The arrested have been identified as Arbaz Firoz Khan (27), of Bhavani peth; Fardin Parvez Khan (19), of Kondhwa Khurd; Sahil Shaikh (23); and Suyash Waghmare (27). They have been remanded in custody till October 15.
